State Party News

The governor’s race is over, but Harry Hempy and Green Party leaders in Boulder County and surrounding areas haven’t given up their fight for local control over minimum wages.

The Greater Boulder Green Party — which also includes members from Broomfield and Gilpin counties — adopted a resolution on Dec. 4 asking the state legislature to allow towns, cities and counties to set a local minimum wage based on the local cost of living. To do that means repealing a 1999 law that gave that power to the state. read more »

Please join us in Worcester on November 15th for the Green-Rainbow Party State Convention. You’ll have the chance to meet your Green-Rainbow Party candidates, hear our guest speakers John Rensenbrink and Jim Cutler, as well as 2012 Green presidential candidate Jill Stein, and vote for your party officers for the next year.

As reported yesterday here at Green Party Watch, Sue Edward no longer faces a Republican nominee as that candidate, Bobby Harrell, has admitted guilt in a case involving official corruption.

WCIV, the ABC affiliate in Charleston, covered the race. As the reporter says in the piece, the Republican Party is now trying to find a way to avoid the consequences of nominating a criminal by demanding a special election instead of honoring the results of the election already scheduled. WCIV-TV | ABC News 4 – Charleston News, Sports, Weather

Opposition News has a detailed report on the West Virginia Mountain Party’s recent convention, including information about candidates endorsed in 2014 elections, newly elected party officers, and issue campaigns. From the article:

Sutton, WV. (ONN) The Mountain Party of West Virginia, the local affiliate of the national Green Party, just held its bi-annual State Convention. The party’s Executive Committee unanimously voted in new party leadership while approving a large slate of candidates for the upcoming November General Election. With West Virginia’s recent poisoning of its drinking water due to industrial contamination, watch for the Mountain Party Greens to score some surprise victories this year. read more »

The Minneapolis Star-Tribune published a front-page article during the 2014 Green Party US annual national meeting in St. Paul, covering the convention and the Minnesota Green Party’s current campaigns. From the article:

On the ballot is Andy Dawkins, a former DFL state representative, who is running for attorney general against three other candidates, including DFL incumbent Lori Swanson. He is the only Green Party candidate for statewide office — and the Greens’ best chance to claw itself back to relevancy.

Green Party leaders tapped Dawkins to run because as a longtime member of the Minnesota House representing St. Paul, he may be able to get enough votes to win back major party status. read more »

Scott Summers, Green Party candidate for Governor, and the slate of Green Party statewide candidates, have filed a lawsuit in federal court seeking to halt the state’s “binder check” process and have key provisions of the Illinois Election Code ruled unconstitutional.

On June 23, the Green Party filed 29,707 signatures to place Summers, U.S. Senate candidate Omar Lopez, and five other statewide candidates on the November ballot. A week later, the petition was challenged by Karen Yarbrough, Cook County Recorder of Deeds and long-time ally of Governor Pat Quinn.

“Voters want to see more than just one or two candidates on their ballots,” Summers says. “My campaign and this lawsuit challenge the election laws that choke off choice.”

The lawsuit makes three distinct allegations:

* The “binder check” process which is used to review petitions is unconstitutional, because it is biased against petitioning candidates, is subject to on-the-spot rules changes every year, and requires many hours on the part of candidates and supporters to defend signatures. No other state uses such a system.

* The “full slate” law which requires non-established parties to field candidates for all offices at a given jurisdictional level is unconstitutional for several reasons, especially equal protection and due process arguments under the 1st and 14th Amendments. In numerous counties either the Republicans or Democrats fail to field candidates for all county offices, yet the law demands that if a “new” party candidate wishes to run for county office, he or she must be part of a “full slate” for all county offices. Similarly, to run for Governor, a “new” party must field candidates for all other constitutional offices, whether they wish to or not.

* The notarization requirement for petitions is unconstitutional as it drastically limits approaches to organizing petition drives and yet fills no compelling state interest. Because petitions must be notarized, would-be signers cannot download a petition, sign it, and send it off, without first finding a notary, substantially curtailing their freedom of association.

PORTLAND — About 30 Green Party members gathered at the Portland Senior Center Monday night to nominate dozens of candidates for statewide and municipal offices.

The Greens — who run progressive, environmentally concerned candidates on ballots across the country — have not qualified for the ballot in either the governor’s or lieutenant governor’s race. read more »

Mike LaForest submitted 284 signatures to get on the ballot for the 47th Assembly District in Wisconsin. The district is in Dane County and includes portions of Madison, Fitchberg, Monona and other communities. The Democratic incumbent, Robb Kahl, has a history of voting for and supporting Republicans which may be why the Republicans aren’t running against him.

On Thursday, Joel Gratz, Executive Director of the Assembly Democratic Campaign Committee, challenged Mike LaForest’s nomination papers, ALL of them, requesting they be disqualified. Why? First, he claims that the candidate registration lists LaForest as an “Independent” while his nomination papers indicate Green Party. He is apparently unaware that when third parties register, they HAVE to select Independent. Second, LaForest circulated all his own papers, which on the top candidate section clearly state that his legal address is Town of Blooming Grove and his mailing address is Madison, yet Mr. Gratz claims that the fact that LaForest’s circulator signature and address indicate Madison, which is his mailing address, all 284 are disqualified. Third, he claims that the top of the form for some of his sheets cut off half of the words that state “Nomination Paper for Partisan Office” – disqualifying those sheets, even though the sheets themselves clearly state that Mike LaForest is running for the 47th Assembly District on the Green Party ticket. Gratzz goes on to challenge a dozen or more individual signatures claiming their residencies are out of district.

Aside from the fact that the challenge has no merit, one has to ask why the Democrats fear running in a two way race against a Green Party candidate so much so as to try to kick their opponent off the ballot on such frivolous charges? Could it be because this Dane County District knows they have a Republican running as a Democrat, and if enough of them know it, they just might vote Green?

The Government Accountability Board will be addressing all challenged ballot petitions on Tuesday, June 10th, and 9 a.m.

State Green Parties in New York, New Mexico, Hawai’i, Maryland, Michigan, Maine, and California are holding meetings in coming weeks to nominate candidates, discuss strategy, and get to know new members. If you are near one of these upcoming state meetings, we hope you will attend.

The Greens of Kansas City and the Progressive Party of Missouri invite you to a five-state Green Organizing Meeting

A conference for Greens in Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas, Iowa, and Nebraska – JUNE 13-15, 2014

Keynote speaker, Jill Stein

Never in the history of our country has there been a greater need for a new, vibrant party. With 60% of the people saying “We need a third party,” our holistic message and strong moral foundation put us in a unique position to accept the challenge. The Greens are leading the way in many parts of the country, and this meeting is intended to bring multi-state leadership together, to confer and develop plans for rejuvenating our Green Parties in the Prairie States. read more »

Portland-Green Party Senate CandidateAsher Platts is calling legal shenanigans over the fact that Democratic Party Staffers are trying to block his run for Portland State Senate District 27. On Monday, Platts, who also happens to be the Chair of the Maine Green Independent Party, received notice from the Secretary of State’s office that Democratic Legislative Aide, and Democratic Party Coordinated Campaign Staffer Anya Trundy, represented by the law firm of Bernstein Shurr, had challenged primary nomination signatures that Platts turned in to qualify as a Green candidate for the June primary ballot in that district.

Asher Platts is running for State Senate in Maine

“I once worked in the Democratic Party, for candidates like Dennis Kucinich. I left the Democratic Party because I saw disgusting skullduggery like this all the time. They’re so afraid they’ll lose if voters hear from young working class candidates with real world experience and proven, real-world policy solutions, that they are willing to use their lawyers to deny voter choice by keeping folks like me off the ballot”, said Platts. “I was attracted to the Green Party because they have long advocated for more democracy, more citizen participation, and more choices at the ballot box– not limiting choice for voters, like I have seen the Democratic Party do using legal maneuvering, over and over.”

As a first time candidate in 2012, Platts garnered nearly 30% of the vote against Justin Alfond, the incumbent President of the Senate. Green’s have been improving their numbers with each successive run for the Senate District 27 seat. Platts’s impressive 2012 electoral showing was 5% more than that of the previous Green candidate Bill Linnell.

“This is a sure sign of fear by the establishment”, said John Eder, Platts’s Campaign Coordinator. “They see us making steady electoral gains in the district of the type that lead up to my victory in 2002”, said Eder who represented Portland’s West End in the Maine Legislature as the nations highest elected Green. “I feel for the guy, I’ve been in Asher’s position before”, Eder continued, “they’re using dirty legal tricks against Asher like they used the redistricting process to try to get rid of me. That backfired on them then and this will backfire on them now. Voters don’t appreciate this type of thing, it just looks real ugly.”

Platts, known to fans of his podcast as the Punk Patriot, is working on finding a lawyer to represent him pro bono at the Challenge Hearing in Augusta to be held Monday. Mach 21st . “They’re trying to throw road blocks in my path by disrupting my work week, disrupting my collection of Clean Elections Fund donations, and forcing a low income person like me to retain a lawyer on short notice”, said Platts. “I’m not daunted. Since becoming an activist outside the two party system, I’ve always had to work 10 times harder to challenge the entrenched power structures, and I’m not backing down now.”

The ILGP will hold its state membership meeting this coming Saturday, March 15, at the Homewood Public Library, 17917 Dixie Highway Homewood, IL, from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

At the meeting ILGP members will help make a final decision about running a slate of candidates for statewide offices (governor, U.S. Senator, etc.) in 2014, as well as prepare for our petition drives, which start later in the month. We will also be holding elections for state party offices (Chair, Secretary, Treasurer, and four Vice Chairs) and GPUS representatives. The meeting is free and open to the public. No registration is required; Optional RSVP available on Facebook. Complete meeting information, as well as information about the Friday night social and Saturday night fundraising dinner, can be found at ILGP.org/meeting.

With elections coming this November, many state Green Parties are holding meetings to nominate candidates, discuss strategy, and get to know new members. If you are near one of these upcoming state meetings, mark it on your calendar!